Xi Jinping put work first and missed birth of daughter
Years in Xiamen helped Xi recover from his lowest ebb - and led him to meet his new wife
In the summer of 1992, as party chief of Fujian's provincial capital, Fuzhou, Xi Jinping missed the birth of his only child, daughter Xi Mingze, because he was called away to deal with the effects of a typhoon that struck the area.
A provincial foreign affairs official said Xi's wife, famous soprano Peng Liyuan - who holds the rank of major general in the People's Liberation Army, was in Fuzhou as her due date approached and hoped that Xi would be present for the birth.
"But at that time, Fuzhou was hit by a strong typhoon, and Xi had to direct disaster relief work in the worst-hit area, keeping him away for three days and nights," the official said.
Many officials in Fujian said that most people in the province were aware that Xi had ordered Peng not to accept offers of freelance work after their marriage, causing her to lose countless opportunities to make money.
"When Xi was in Xiamen, he even asked Peng to do free performances for local people," the foreign affairs official said.
"Xi is so lucky to have such a virtuous and approachable wife, who has helped earn him a lot of publicity."
Another official in Fuzhou said Fujian had been an "auspicious base" for Xi because he met Peng there after reaching one of his lowest ebbs before being sent to Xiamen in 1985.